One of the conventional teachings for game systems suggests that a player performs a timely input operation to proceed with a game. For example, a game system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-218046 (hereinafter, a first patent document) is such that a player is supposed to specify an object moving on a screen at a specific time. This game system provides a game played by pressing a button when the object moving from top to bottom on the screen reaches a line on the screen.
In another game system (such as a game system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3350009, which is hereinafter referred to as a second patent document), the player performs a timely input operation, thereby attacking an enemy character displayed on a game system. In this game system, a plurality of targets (input units) are provided on the left and right sides of a display unit on which a game screen is displayed. These targets move forward and backward under the control of the game system. When the player hits one of the targets coming forward at the appropriate time, damage corresponding to an angle at which the target was hit is dealt to the enemy character on the game screen.
In the above-described conventional game systems, the player performs an input operation on a physically-fixed button or target. As such, the finger position at which the player performs an input operation is fixed, and therefore the player's personal feel for operation cannot be varied. Moreover, the player does not have to pay much attention to the fixed position of the button or target, but merely pays attention to when to perform an input operation. For example, in the game system disclosed in the first patent document, the player can easily perform an input operation in a timely manner, by merely paying attention to the time when a subject on the game screen reaches a specific position. As such, in the conventional game systems, the input operation to be performed by the player is too simple, and does not allow the operation skill of the player to be reflected on the input operation, making the game itself unsophisticated with less entertainment value.
Furthermore, in the conventional game systems, the player is supposed to perform an input operation when the subject on the game screen reaches a line or when the target comes forward. That is, all the player has to do is to perform an input operation when the subject or the target reaches a predetermined position. Therefore, the time at which the player is supposed to perform an input operation is predetermined. As such, in the conventional game systems, the player merely hits the predetermined button or target at the predetermined time, and thus the flexibility of player operation is low. Such low flexibility of player operation makes the game unsophisticated with less entertainment value.
Therefore, a feature of an illustrative embodiment is to provide a game machine with a game full of entertainment, with the operation skill of a player being more fully reflected in the game play, and a game program achieving such a game.
An illustrative embodiment adopts the following structure to achieve the feature mentioned above. Note that reference characters and numerals in parentheses below merely show examples of correspondence with the embodiment described further below for the sake of better understanding of the present invention, and do not restrict the scope of the present invention.
A first aspect of an illustrative embodiment is directed to a data storage medium having stored there in a game program causing a computer of a game machine (1), including a display screen (first LCD 11) for displaying a game image and a touch panel (13) covering the display screen, to perform steps including: a display control step (CPU core 21 performing S13, which is an abbreviation of step 13; only a step number is hereinafter referred), a movement control step (S16), an input coordinate detecting step (S17), a specified coordinate determining step (S53), and a parameter updating step (S67). In the display control step, a game image, including a game character image (enemy character 31) and a plurality of target images (32), indicative of targets to be specified by a player, is displayed on the display screen. In the movement control step, the target images are moved so that at least one of the target images passes over the game character image. In the input coordinate detecting step, when the player provides an input to the touch panel, input coordinates, indicative of a position of the input on the display screen, are detected. In the specified coordinate determining step, when display coordinates of any one of the target images, at the time of the input provided from the player onto the touch panel, and the input coordinates are within a predetermined range, it is determined that the target image has been specified by the player. Also, based on at least one of a position represented by the display coordinates and a position represented by the input coordinates, specified coordinates indicative of a position specified by the player are determined. Here, the “predetermined range” is, for example, a range in which the target image is displayed, or a range within a predetermined distance away from the range in which the target image is displayed. In the parameter updating step, a characteristic parameter, indicative of a characteristic of a game character, represented by the game character image, is varied, based on a positional relation between the specified coordinates and the game character image.
A second aspect of an illustrative embodiment is directed to a data storage medium having stored therein a game program, causing a computer of a game machine, including a display screen, for displaying a game image, and a touch panel covering the display screen, to perform steps including: a display control step (S13), a movement control step (S16), an input coordinate detecting step (S17), a specified coordinate determining step (S53), and a parameter updating step (S67). In the display control step, a game image, including a game character image and a target image, indicative of a target to be specified by a player, are displayed on the display screen. In the movement control step, the target image is moved so that target image passes over the game character image. In the input coordinate detecting step, when the player provides an input onto the touch panel, input coordinates indicative of a position of the input on the display screen are detected. In the specified coordinate determining step, when display coordinates, of the target image at the time of the input onto the touch panel, provided by the player, and the input coordinates are within a predetermined range, it is determined that the target image has been specified by the player. Also, based on at least one of a position represented by the display coordinates and a position represented by the input coordinates, specified coordinates, indicative of a position specified by the player, are determined. Note that the “predetermined range” is, for example, a range in which the target image is displayed, or a range within a predetermined distance away from the range in which the target image is displayed. In the parameter updating step, a characteristic parameter indicative of a characteristic of a game character, represented by the game character image, is varied based on a positional relation between the specified coordinates and the game character image.
Here, the steps may further include a movement stopping step (S54) of stopping the movement of the target image specified by the player when the specified coordinates are determined.
Also, in the parameter updating step, when the specified coordinates represent a position of the game character image, the characteristic parameter of the game character represented by the game character image may be varied.
Also, an area where the game character image is displayed may include a plurality of decision coordinate areas defined in association with the area. At this time, in the parameter updating step, a degree of variance of the characteristic parameter is changed in accordance with one of the decision coordinate areas that includes the specified coordinates.
Furthermore, the steps may further include a time keeping step (S15) of keeping an elapsed time from the start of the movement of the target images. At this time, the movement control step, the input coordinate detecting step, the display coordinate detecting step, and the specified coordinate determining step are repeated, until the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined limit time.
Still further, the steps may include a number-of-inputs counting step of counting the number of inputs provided from the player onto the touch panel, after the start of the movement of the target images. At this time, the movement control step, the input coordinate detecting step, the display coordinate detecting step, and the specified coordinate determining step are repeated until the number of inputs exceeds a predetermined number.
Still further, the game character image, displayed in the display control step, may be an image of at least one of a plurality of game characters stored in advance in the game machine. At this time, the steps further include a first changing step (S33) of changing at least one of a size, a number, a moving pattern, and a moving speed of each of the target images, changed in accordance with a type of the game character.
Still further, the steps may include: a skill information storing step (S56) and a second changing step (S31). In a skill information storing step, at least one of the number of points represented by the specified coordinates, determined within a predetermined time, a distance between the point represented by the input coordinates and the point represented by the display coordinates, and a ratio of the points represented by the specified coordinates, determined with the predetermined time with respect to the number of inputs provided onto the touch panel within the predetermined time, is stored as skill information of the player. In the second changing step, at least one of a size, a number, a moving pattern, and a moving speed of each of the target images, to be displayed after the skill information is stored, is changed in accordance with the skill information.
Still further, the steps may include a character movement control step of moving the game character image when the target images are moved.
Still further, the steps may include a moving speed changing step (S71) of changing a moving speed of the target image when the target image passes over an entire area or part of an area of the game character image.
Still further, an area where the game character image is displayed may include a plurality of decision coordinate areas defined in association with the area. At this time, in the moving speed changing step, the moving speed of the target image is increased when the target image passes over a predetermined one of the plurality of decision coordinate areas. In the parameter updating step, when the specified coordinates are included in the predetermined decision coordinate area, a degree of variance of the characteristic parameter is increased by a greater amount compared with a case where the specified coordinates are included in one of the decision coordinate areas other than the predetermined decision coordinate area.
Still further, the steps may include an image display changing step (S71) of decreasing a size of the target image when passing over an entire or part of the game character image. At this time, in the specified coordinate determining step, a size of the predetermined range is changed in accordance with the size of the target image.
An area where the game character image is displayed may include a plurality of decision coordinate areas defined in association with the area. At this time, in the image display changing step, the size of the target image is decreased when the target image passes over a predetermined one of the plurality of decision coordinate areas. In the parameter updating step, when the specified coordinates are included in the predetermined decision coordinate area, a degree of variance of the characteristic parameter is increased by a greater amount compared with a case where the specified coordinates are included in one of the decision coordinate areas other than the predetermined decision coordinate area.
Still further, the plurality of target images may be of types different in appearance. In the parameter updating step, the characteristic parameter is changed differently in accordance with a type of the target image represented by the specified coordinates.
A third aspect of an illustrative embodiment is directed to a data storage medium having stored there in a game program causing a computer of a game machine, including a display screen for displaying a game image and a touch panel covering the display screen, to perform steps including: a display control step (S13), a movement control step (S16), an input coordinate detecting step (S17), a specified coordinate determining step (S53), and a game image changing step (S84 and S85). In the display control step, a game image, including a game character image and a plurality of target images (32) indicative of targets to be specified by a player, is displayed on the display screen. In the movement control step, the target images on the game image are moved. In the input coordinate detecting step, when the player provides an input onto the touch panel, input coordinates indicative of a position of the input on the display screen are detected. In specified coordinate determining step, when display coordinates of any one of the target images at the time of the input, provided from the player onto the touch panel, and the input coordinates are within a predetermined range, specified coordinates indicative of a position specified by the player are determined based on at least one of a position represented by the display coordinates and a position represented by the input coordinates. In the game image changing step, a display state of the game image is changed, based on a positional relation among positions represented by the specified coordinates determined in the specified coordinate determining step.
The present invention may be provided as a game machine including storage means (WRAM 22 or cartridge 17) having stored therein the above-described game program and a program executing means (CPU core 21) which executes the game program stored in the storage means. Also, the present invention can be achieved by a program, and with the program being recorded on a recording medium for transfer, the present invention can be easily implemented in another independent computer system.
According to the first, second, and third aspects, the target image(s) moves on the display screen. The player specifies at least one target image at a desired position, thereby specifying an arbitrary position on a moving path of the target image. That is, the player has to observe the moving target image to predict the time when the target image reaches the desired position, and then has to perform an input operation just as the target image reaches that desired position. The operation skill of specifying the target image at an appropriate position, while viewing the moving image, is reflected in the game. Therefore, in the illustrative embodiments, the input operation reflects the player's operation skill, not merely the timing of the input operation. Thus, it is possible to provide an entertaining game, reflecting the player's operation skill.
Also, the position specified by the player is an arbitrary position on the moving path of the target image. Therefore, the flexibility of the input operation by the player is higher than the flexibility of a conventional operation with a physically-fixed input unit. Thus, various input operations can be performed, preventing the game from becoming monotonous and boring. Further, the location of operation by the player is not fixed, thereby varying the player's involvement in the operation.
Furthermore, according to the first and second aspects, the characteristic parameter of the game character is changed based on the positional relation between the specified coordinates on the display screen and the game character. Therefore, it is possible to provide a novel game in which the progress of the game is changed in accordance with the position specified by the player.
Still further, according to the first aspect, the game machine prompts the player to select one or more target images from the plurality of target images. At this time, the player observes the plurality of target images to predict a target image that reaches the desired position, and then selects the target image from the plurality of target images. That is, with multiple target images being displayed, a higher operation skill is required, compared with the operation skill required when a single target image is displayed. This further increases the entertainment value of the game.
Still further, according to the third embodiment, the display state of the game image is changed in accordance with the positional relation among the plurality of points represented by the specified coordinates. Therefore, while observing the positions of the plurality of moving target images, the player touches the target image that reaches an appropriate position, which provides the player with a new type of game play experience.
Also, when the movement stopping step is further performed, the movement of the target image is stopped when the player touches the target image in a timely fashion. Therefore, the player can easily tell the position at which the player touched the target image.
Furthermore, the characteristic parameter of the game character is changed when the specified coordinates represent a position on the game character image, thereby making it possible to achieve the following. The characteristic parameter of the game character is changed when the target image has been successfully specified on the game character image. This makes it possible to make the player easily and visually aware of when to touch the target image.
Still further, when the degree of variance of the characteristic parameter is changed in accordance with the decision coordinate area, including the specified coordinates, it is possible to use a simple process of specifying the decision coordinate area, including the specified coordinates, in order to increase or decrease the characteristic parameter in accordance with the positional relation between the specified coordinates and the game character.
Still further, when the time keeping process is performed, the player's input operation has to be performed before the time limit is reached, thereby better reflecting the player's operation skill.
Still further, when the number-of-inputs counting step is further performed, the number of inputs from the player is limited, thereby better reflecting the player's operation skill.
Still further, when the first changing step is performed, the size, for example, of the target image is changed in accordance with the game character, thereby varying the operation skill for each game character. For example, the degree of difficulty in the operation skill required for the player can be varied in accordance with the strength of the game character.
Still further, when the second changing step is performed, the degree of difficulty in the required operation skill can be varied in accordance with the level of the operation skill of the player.
Still further, when the character movement control step is performed, the game character, as well as the target image, is moving. This makes it more difficult for the player to specify the target image at a desired position, thereby varying the degree of difficulty in the game and providing a more entertaining game.
Still further, when the moving speed changing step is performed, the moving speed of the target image is increased when the target image passes over the specified position. Therefore, the operation skill of the player can be better reflected as the game progresses.
Still further, where the moving speed of the target image is increased when the target image is passing over a predetermined decision coordinate area, the effect in the game is greater if a target image with a higher speed is specified. Therefore, the player's operation skill can be further reflected in the progress of the game, and the degree of difficulty can be varied.
Still further, when the image display changing step is performed, the size of the target image is decreased when the target image passes over the desired position. Therefore, the player's operation skill can be further reflected in the progress of the game.
Still further, when the size of the target image is decreased when the target image passes over the predetermined decision coordinate area, the effect in the game is greater as a target image of a smaller size has been specified. Therefore, the player's operation skill can be further reflected in the progress of the game, and also the degree of game difficulty can be varied.
Still further, when target images of types with different appearances are displayed, different game effects can be provided in accordance with different target images. Therefore, the player's operation skill can be further reflected in the progress of the game. Also, the strategic aspect of the game is increased, thereby increasing an entertainment aspect of the game.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.